Hey so this will be my first winter with my 03 f150, winter where I live are pretty crap so is there anything these trucks are bad for in the snow or cold?

 

I'm in Fort St. John, BC.

What chains to you use? I've an 03 FX4, need to buy a set. Is it true that I ought not to chain the steers, no matter how snug?

No issues with me, keep her plugged in (oil pan heater goes a long way to help the block) and I run 0w-20 synthetic oil instead of the stock 5w-20. Don't worry about your rad if you keep her plugged in, otherwise be sure she's good to minus sixty.

 

Well I'm in Winnipeg Manitoba so no chains for me here, it's flat as a pancake around here lol

 

Make sure you have a good battery.. our starters like to pull lots of amps and in the cold, it puts huge strains on a battery.. So make sure you have a good 750 CCA battery.

A good set of A/T or snow tires would be idea, but considering you dont live in a mountainous region, I would think any LT tire with good(50% +) tread wear would be fine

 

Do you wear cleats? (studded tires)

 

Block heater, Snow tires or good AT(I run terra grapplers) goes a long way. Don't forget your bag of sand and shovel

 

Is the block heater really worth it on a gas engine? I don't have one but might get one before it gets cold

 

When it gets to -40 or colder your cylinders have shrunk so tight against your pistons that she'll never turn over. Bearings shrink and give excessive play, modern rubber seals start failing. Steel gets brittle and must be de-rated, especially springs. Block heaters are pretty necessary, and accessories like battery blankets, gasoline antifreeze, radiator and oilpan coils, thinner lubricants are always a good idea.

 

It never gets in the negatives here. So I shouldn't need one right? Here in Arkansas the lowest it gets to is like the single digits maybe

 

No need to worry about any of that then.